Albertha Timber-Maynard (centre) seated among her many relatives and loved ones celebrating her 100th birthday.
ST. EUSTATIUS--A party was hosted at Seventh-Day Adventist (SDA) Church’s basement over the weekend in celebrating Albertha “Sister” Timber-Maynard’s 100th birthday.
Many of Timber’s relatives and loved ones travelled from near and far to be present to celebrate with the oldest resident of St. Eustatius.
Timber’s great niece Terese Hook welcomed visitors to the birthday party, such as Commissioner Charles Woodley, Island Council members Rechelline Leerdam, Reuben Merkman and Clyde van Putten, Timber’s sister Mary Busby (98), Pastor of the SDA Church Virgil Sams and Pastor Vincia Celestine of the Methodist Church.
Councilman Van Putten extended “public” congratulations to Timber on behalf of the Island Government.
Councilman Merkman thanked Timber for looking out for him. When Merkman was a child he got into all types of mischief. When this happened, Timber informed Merkman’s parents and his parents would discipline him. “I got quite a bit of licks because of my behaviour,” he said.
Merkman thanked Timber for looking out for him, “because everyone knows it takes a village to raise a child and that was the case back then,” he said.
Pastor Virgil Sams said that Timber was very active in the church, as well as in the community at large. “She was always willing to help the less fortunate,” said Sams.
Her great-niece Telia Hook read a poem in her great aunt’s honour, after which former Commissioner Roy Hooker spoke about the “Magnificent Four Ladies” of the SDA Church: the late Miriam Berkel, Francisca Grovel, Mae Leerdam and Timber.
Hooker said these four ladies together with his grandmother, the late Daisy Hooker, would guide, correct and encourage him. “Even during my political career Sister Timber would advise me,” he said.
Reaching 100 years is not an easy thing to do, said Hooker, who called for God’s blessing on Timber for all she had done for the community, SDA Church “and especially for me.”
Nurse Margary Cherubin-Harrigan spoke for all the nurses at St. Eustatius Auxiliary Home. She said that one day some of the nurses were going to take Timber inside the Home after she had spent the day outside on the porch. Timber, however, did not want to go in and started to resist. Her roommate Mae Leerdam got involved and asked Timber what was the matter. Timber responded by saying: “Here Mae, take my stick and hit them from the back.”
“We have good days and bad days and when we go home there are incidents we can look back on and laugh about,” Cherubin said.
